Tag Archives: christmas

Immediately after Thanksgiving, local radio stations have to start airing Christmas songs. Forget that we haven’t even finished the month of November and our turkey dinners have barely settled into our stomachs. Despite the earlier and earlier reminders of the holiday season, thanks to retailers and corporations doing all they can to shove it into our mindset, I’m always excited for the chance to listen to my favorite Christmas songs once again. It’s the one time of the year I can enjoy it until next December. For me, it’s just not Christmas without hearing certain songs at least once. I’ve compiled a list of my personal favorite songs I MUST hear every Christmas season. Be sure to also check out my fellow GFNer Cary’s great post about the different versions of the same Christmas songs she prefers to listen to.

Although we’re still a couple weeks away from Thanksgiving, “that holiday feeling” is slowing but surely creeping in. Black Friday sales are already in the news. Christmas commercials have started popping up on TV. And Starbucks has rolled out their seasonal red cups. (If THAT isn’t a sign of the season nowadays, I don’t know what is!) I used to surge into the end-of-the-year holidays like a steamroller on red and green steroids, but my tsunami of cheer has lost much of its will, having been eroded away by time and commitments and life in general. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t look forward to a few holiday indulgences, especially when it comes to one of the biggest joys in life: food.

One of the things I love about the holiday season is setting up the Christmas tree and spending the whole day decorating it with my mom. It has been a big holiday tradition at our home since I was old enough to reach the tree and when my mom felt it was safe enough to let me handle the breakable ornaments to place on the branches of our artificial tree. Taking out the boxes of ornaments from storage and opening them up to unearth the many ornaments we have collected over the years, I can’t help but get a sentimental tingle in my heart when my eyes land on the ornaments that have a special significance or story behind how we got them.

Christmas is almost here and I haven’t bought a single gift for anyone yet. So if you’re like me and you’re starting to scramble to buy some awesome gifts online (while hoping that they arrive in time for Christmas), here are some pretty sweet ideas!

Pac Man Soap

For $7.99 you can get some awesome Pac Man and Enemies soap to display in your home. While I would use these as simple decoration (I couldn’t bring myself to actually use them), each character has a different flavor!

Legend of Zelda Wayfarer Sunglasses

Some girls enjoy buying a bunch of shoes. I, however, enjoy buying a bunch of sunglasses. As a huge Zelda fan, it’s a must for me to have a pair of these. Unfortunately, these aren’t guaranteed to make it by Christmas, but they may be worth buying anyway. Each pair of sunglasses are hand painted so no two items are identical. And if you’re tired of collecting sunglasses, they can also come with clear lens instead.

Mass Effect Inspired Nerf Gun

I love Mass Effect and I love Nerf guns… so why not combine the two? This Mass Effect inspired Nerf gun is handpainted, clear coated, and fully functional. While it would be perfect for someone who enjoys collecting Mass Effect stuff, it would also be a good addition to some Mass Effect themed cosplay.

Fairy in a Bottle Necklace

You never know when you may need that extra life. Now, you can keep your very own Zelda inspired fairy in a bottle necklace! Each bottle contains a small, blue fairy with transparent wings. The cork is sealed in place and the fairy is suspended on a piece of clear wire so you don’t have to worry about it falling apart.

Video Game Buttons – Set of 7

Buttons are cool. Video game buttons are cooler. Each order contains the set of buttons you see above, each one about the size of a US quarter. You also have the option to turn your set into magnets instead!

As an older person without kids, what business do I have snuggling up for the annual showings of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? Not much if you ask society. I mean, c’mon lady, don’t you have anything better to do with your holiday time?? There are things to bake, make, and decorate! There’s all that spreading of holiday cheer among your friends, family, and co-workers! And there’s all sorts of other…um, stuff…that, uh, women tend to do around the holidays! Old holiday cartoons are old news!

Well, society my dear, you’ve simply got it all wrong. Yes, it’s true that the holiday season is busy enough for both, ahem, men AND women AND children AND pets, but behind all that hustle and bustle hides, for me, an air of melancholy. It’s not seasonal affective disorder or something as heavy as full-blown depression, just melancholy, and only hints of it here and there. However, with each passing year, my sadder moments become harder to escape. And I never quite know just how they’re going to manifest each year. Maybe it takes me a little longer to really “get into the holiday spirit,” maybe I put off decorating for another weekend, maybe I bake a couple less special treats.

Cue thousands of fangirls (and guys) bursting into tears simultaneously. It was announced over the weekend that Matt Smith, who plays the 11 incarnation of The Doctor, will be leaving the show after the Christmas special in December 2013.This means that Smith’s final two episodes will be the highly anticipated 5oth Anniversary special and the Christmas special before The Doctor will make his 12th regeneration.

Smith had only good things to say about his nearly 4 years on the show, full statement on BBC News:

“Doctor Who has been the most brilliant experience for me as an actor and a bloke, and that largely is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show.

“I’m incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day to realise all the elements of the show and deliver Doctor Who to the audience. Many of them have become good friends and I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last four years.

“Having Steven Moffat as show runner write such varied, funny, mind bending and brilliant scripts has been one of the greatest and most rewarding challenges of my career. It’s been a privilege and a treat to work with Steven – he’s a good friend and will continue to shape a brilliant world for the Doctor.

The fans of Doctor Who around the world are unlike any other; they dress up, shout louder, know more about the history of the show (and speculate more about the future of the show) in a way that I’ve never seen before.

“Your dedication is truly remarkable. Thank you so very much for supporting my incarnation of the Time Lord, number 11, who I might add is not done yet – I’m back for the 50th anniversary and the Christmas special.

Smith is a fan favorite and a favorite with critics as well, as he’s the only Doctor to be nominated for a BAFTA for his role. Smith was also the youngest actor to ever portray The Doctor, which might have influenced a lot of updates to the show, including a new title sequence and Doctor Who logo, as well as updated looks to the Daleks, the TARDIS, the sonic screwdriver and others.

There is no word yet on how Smith’s Doctor will regenerate or who will be replacing him, but show runner Steven Moffat seems just as excited as the rest of us.

“Somewhere out there right now – all unknowing, just going about their business – is someone who’s about to become the Doctor,” Moffat hinted to BBC News.

“A life is going to change, and Doctor Who will be born all over again. After 50 years, that’s still so exciting.”

The 5oth Anniversary episode will air 23rd November 2013 with the Christmas episode to air after that.

Who would be your ideal choice for the next Doctor? Personally,we really would like to see him finally become a ginger.

It's all geek to me!

About GFN

Geek Force Network is a collection of great writers, podcasters and video producers who gravitate toward all things geek. The idea for the name was started among a group of bloggers on Twitter, and eventually it snowballed into this behemoth. GFN updates seven days a week.